Stalked and Stolen

Chapter 17

I bury my head into the man's chest and I feel my cheeks moisten from the tears as he carries my body across the field and towards the car. He opens the door and I slide in. My body feels frozen in shock.

I turn around and see Hunter being loaded onto a stretcher. I catch one last glimpse of him before they cover his body with a large white sheet. My head leans against the door and I allow myself to trace small intricate circles on the window.

I still have a hard time believing this. What if it is just a dream?

My head begins to pound and I place my knuckles on my temples and rotate them in a circular motion, which is slightly relieving.

"Please, come on. Please wake up from this treacherous nightmare. I know this isn't real. I know," I merely whisper to myself. I repeat it a few times when I hear the car door open, breaking me from my thoughts.

A middle aged woman climbs into the passenger seat and she gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Everything is gonna be okay," she assures me as she places her frail hand on my thigh. I want to believe her, to put all my trust in her, knowing that everything would be okay, but I knew it was a lie. It was just reality. It would all just get worse from here.

Don't worry, be positive. No matter how tough times seem now, things will get better, I remember my grandfathers last few words. I believed them, but now experiencing this, I never trust myself to believe anything anymore.

The woman half-smiles before turning to the front.

"Thank you," I manage to say. The woman turns to face me, and I could see the sympathy in her eyes. "Thank you for saving me."

She half-smiles and subtly nods as she removes her hand from my thigh.

"I know how hard this must have been," she says after a few seconds of silence. "You must be terrified."

I don't say anything. Instead, I turn my head to the side and look out the window, seeing the bright flashing lights, and hearing the sirens blare in the distance.

I take one last look at the ambulance, the one that holds Hunter, and watch as it speeds off into the distance. I stare at it until it is nothing more than a mere dot on the horizon.

"Goodbye," I whisper to myself as I place my hand on the window. "I'll miss you Hunter."

I feel a single tear roll down my cheek and land on my lap. An awful feeling churns inside me, and burns throughout my body. Why is this happening? Why me? This can't be real. The image of Hunter's lifeless body being loaded onto the stretcher burns in my memory.

It hurts to face the truth. Hunter is really gone. And it's all my fault. I guess this is goodbye. Forever.